Stunning capture from Otto Shenk’s Metropolitan Opera production of Wagner’s “Tannhauser seen in HD broadcast.

Magnificent capture from HD broadcast of Wagner’s “Tannhauser”

by Sam Juliano

As we inch closer to the mid-way point in November, we are still enveloped by warmer temperatures than usual in the tri-state area around the Big Apple, with much of the same predicted for this current week. Before we blink we will have Turkey Day upon us, to be followed by the holiday season, all the long-anticipated late year movie openings and the heart of the football season.

After nearly five years of the same design (courtesy of my excellent friend from Down Under, Tony d’Ambra, who continues to offer up sage advice and specifications) I did something this past week out of the clear blue, impulsively and without warning changing the site’s theme in seeming contradiction with some of the more austere aspects of our home’s communal scholarship. The verdict is in, and it is markedly split down the middle. Some have opined it is garish and in your face, while others think it is the best thing since ice cream. To be sure I am still investigating all the possibilities, and haven’t definitely settled on the dark wood design, but it offers vividly toned typography, a great font style for the comments, a superb background for photos, terrific color coordinated post headings and two sidebars. The downside is I can’t seem to include the “WitD Team’ on said sidebar and there is no longer the option of a movie banner. However I know at a little cost I can probably get those revisions made. I am still exploring all the various possibilities. I will say that I am personally fond of this new theme, favoring two others that were briefly employed over the past days. I know ‘taste’ is the great equalizer in affairs of the heart, which I guess in my case sometimes wins poll position over the mind. I’d love to hear some opinions from those who comment on this thread.

A book reading event in Manhattan by distinguished artist Ida Pearle and a Saturday evening rock show by Nemyses in Little Ferry, New Jersey complicated my plans to see both Steve Jobs and the new Peanuts movie over the weekend, though my wife Lucille and three of the kids did manage to see the latter and all came in with favorable reactions. However I did get to the movie theaters twice, once on Friday evening to see a solid Irish made horror film and the other a marathon five hour plus HD broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera house of Richard Wagner’s Tannhauser, conducted by the ailing but spirited James Levine for the Wednesday evening encore running from 6:30 to 11:35. Though the Met production offers up the finest presentation of this “least” of Wagner’s operas, everything is relative. It still contains some spectacular passages, the singing is first-rate and Levine conducts with passion and precision The main choral theme of course is one of the most ravishing and identifiable musical passages of all-time. I witnessed Otto Schenk’s production years back at the opera house, so it was interesting to get the close-up perspective available in the HD broadcast. Some of the opera is soulful and sublime, while part is electrifying.

I also saw an atmospheric Irish horror film, “The Hallow” which often scared the Bee Jesus out of you. My daughter Jillian attended with us and was seen covering her eyes for some of it.

Oops! “Their” = “there.” It’s been a long day, part of it working in UK English, part in US English.

(The embarrassing thing is that it now requires more concentration for me to write/edit in UK English than in the, er, colonial patois to which I have become accustomed. Next thing you know, I’ll stop complaining about cars driving on the wrong side of the road.)

Hahaha John, I hear ya as far as Pam’s prospective reaction to this very scary Irish horror film. Definitely one with some sudden hair raising jolts. I would imagine a DVD of it will be available very soon on Region 2 if it is not already released. I’ll have to check on that.

Well, thanks so much for the very kind words on the site design my friend!! I wish you a special week!

Yes it is Sam’s site and I am certainly not pushing any design. Anyway Sam doesn’t listen to me 😉

I am not a fan of this wood panel theme. It may suit the current Caldecott series, but it fails on elegance, responsiveness, legibility, and typeface. Try writing a comment on your cell phone and you will appreciate the importance of these elements.

A theme on a site like this with wide and varied content has to be restrained and quietly elegant. The graphics from the Caldecott books have their own presence and are more effective on an uncluttered neutral background. At another extreme this design featuring an essay on for example Bergman’s Persona would jar badly.

I already shared my thoughts via e-mail but well-said above. I think the crux of the issue is that Wonders is more suited to, as Tony says, “a quietly elegant design” – while I hungered for a new look as well I think this one goes a bit too far in the other direction.

Just gonna throw this to the wind and maybe it’s a bad idea but I’ve always been kinda drawn to the newer formats where all the content appears side by side, almost like a grid with pictures and bits of the text so that the reader can grasp everything at once.

However, I’ve never applied it on my own blog because it always seems to remove the sidebar and I think that’s a huge concern for Wonders too – so many of the navigation tools are on there. Maybe Tony or someone knows how to mix both (or maybe Wonders is best with the traditional scrolling format, not sure).

Above all I think the color and design motifs should be a bit more restrained. That said I sympathize with the desire to throw off the shackles off the old and if you like it, Sam, hey it’s your blog!

I must agree with both the statements here, and add that in blogging via wordpress it’s almost always better to use the most stripped down look aesthetically and then add your ‘personal touch’—if so desired—via a font pack add-on buy (really cheap all things considered) and then design your own custom header graphic to size. These idea work better within a visual field, and also tackle all the comments about multiple devices and user comfortability stated above.

When you try to find a more substantial look via already made templates you generally get something that’s generic or grossly overdesigned.

Thanks very much Joel my friend for both the observant comment here and the thoughtful e mail (which I will respond to). As you can see I have left the dark wood panel theme behind after the less than enthusiastic response from the readers, yourself included. I too rather like the new style with all the posts on a grid, but as it would squash our vital sidebar I couldn’t in good conscience go that way. I think the scroll down method better suits our purposes. All your points are sound and well-taken and I want to thank you so much for posting them!

Jamie, thank you for the astute observations and views. I can’t say I disagree with any, and have since moved forward to rectify the situation.

As always many thanks Tony! Prior to this week’s makeover this site has gone with two themes, and both were graciously chosen by your good self with my blessing, appreciation and enthusiasm. Needless to say your points and observations were well taken, and I have since replaced the Dark Wood theme with the current one. (Ocean Breeze). I must find a way to activate the widget that showcases the WitD “Team” and I want to get some kind of a site kit that will allow me to slightly darken the typeface. Perhaps the kit will allow me to further tweak it. Oh, and I must find a way to add a search engine, with is important. I do feel that this new design boasts some of the aspects you rightly noted were missing with the Dark Wood theme. Thanks again my friend.

Sam, the theme you have chosen is old and has very few customisation options. The later modern themes give more flexibility on fonts, colors, etc without having to buy an option pack.

You have lost the old widgets because you deleted them… Instead of deleting widgets you can drag them away from the sidebar to the bottom RHS of the Widgets screen and store them as unused for later use.

Also, your new sidebar is narrower so you have to change the size attributes of the image placeholders to make them less wide – at the moment they are flush with the border and look cut off on tablets and cell phones.

The problem with the typeface is not the font color – which is black 😉 – but the font, which you can change in the Customization screen.

Tony, the widgets you are referring to were not actually deleted. I just saw them in the “inactive” section under the active widgets. I am assuming this means they can somehow be re-activated. I did indeed notice the sidebar is slightly narrower and must be tweaked in the manner you advice. I have to figure out how to do that, but yes it must be done. I will try to find the “customization screen” to deal with the font. Thank you so much. I hear what you are saying about the age of the theme, but I am willing to invest in an option pack.

Tony, I went into the customization screen and enlarged the font to the limit. It looked very nice but then I had to go back to what I had as it just about completely obscured the small sub head after the Wonders in the Dark mast head. Very strange.

Honestly, I’m mixed on the design. Some things I live about it, like the double sidebars on th right. The old sidebar just went down the page forever, but now the links and features there are more visible.

As for the wood panel, at first glance I really liked it, but then I read the article. Maybe it just me, but it required me to squint and my eyes are still blurry. I think a solid color background would improve readability. A more readible font might also help.

Either way, I will continue reading regardless of the design and agree that it is your decision.

Aaron, thanks for checking in as always! As you can see we have dispensed with the dark wood theme. I think the current design addresses some of your concerns though it needs to be tweaked further as soon as I can get my hands on some kind of WP enhancement kit. Thanks so much for the ever kind words my friend.

I like the new design. Yeah, after I wrote that post, it took my eyes some adjustment. The wood panel looked nice though, just wasn’t functional. For what it’s worth, I’ve used the WP custom design if you need advice.

BTW – I love the idea of changing up the look. I do have to say though – any time you have white typeface on a darker background – it is very harsh on the eyes (at least to me) and makes it hard to read. As this is primarily a scholarly arts site where reading is paramount…(again just my two cents which are worth about just that haha).

Sam, you know my feelings, and I’ll state them again. I do feel the site has long been overdue for a re-haul. I am not concerned with tradition or how the site has grown with using the same theme. Change is good for many reasons.

That said, I am not particularly smitten with this wood design. It has some good things about it, but is probably not the final answer. At the end of the day it is your call.

Yes I do indeed Frank, and I thank you for re-stating them on this thread. Yes, change was in order, though I must say I reacted much too impulsively. I think we have successfully dealt with the situation. Thank you y friend.

The consensus is pretty much unanimous. I will answer everyone independently of course. But I believe I have at last found the answer. This new design does it all–everything we want–elegant, wonderful color coordination, typeface, the sidebar in its entirety, great header, comment presentation and a big bonus when you scroll all the way down.

I did it – I forced my husband to go to the movie theater and watch THE MARTIAN and he loved it and wants to see it again. Then I really pushed the limit and we went out to dinner at a nice spot in town. He liked that too! It was so nice to leave the moving, leaking roof and unpacking behind for a full 6 hours. Going to the movies is so wonderful and such a good suspension of the mind and all the list at home

He even had popcorn and a smoothie Wonders Never Cease!

The Split system mini heat pumps were installed last Thursday and warmth is good even though we too are a bit above temperature – and tons of rain. Today is dry and sun popped through it is about 54′ Now to prep garden at both houses for the winter. Wish the 1913 house would sell – we’d have funds for more movies.

Thank you for the shout out. Loving the Caldicott Series. Thank you for doing that

Patricia, you brought a nice big smile to my face! 🙂 In any case great to hear both of you loved it, it certainly is largely an accomplished film, as I recently reported on a prior MMD. Following it up with a nice dinner on the outside made it all doubly excellent. I am rather surprised your previous abode is still on the market, as I had predicted that wouldn’t be the case at this late date. We had some rain the past few days over here as well. I can understand why too much heat would makes things quite uncomfortable, especially as one with a polar bear weather disposition. Thanks so much for the enthusiastic regard for the Caldecott series. I must prepare the next review in it for tomorrow in fact. Have a great rest of the week my friend.

Thanks for voicing your most welcome assessment Laurie! Seems like this one is getting much better response than the last. Yes, Jillian was doing a lot of “covering” while watching “The Hallow,” that’s for sure! Have a terrific week my friend.

I thought I was at the wrong site for a moment! I like the blue, but it all seems a little too bright for my old eyes (lol). That said, change hel keeps it all interesting.

Three films this week…

She’s Funny That Way – not completely successful, but Peter Bogdanovich directed and I enjoyed it. Imogen Poot was quite good.

Full of Life – Never heard of this film, but it starred Richard Conte and Judy Holliday and had a storyline involving an Italian-American family who were not involved with the mob. Based on a novel by John Fante, Conte is a writer whose needs his immigrant father’s help.The film is basically a look at family dynamics and all the emotions involved.

John, as you can now see we have returned to the original design. I changed the fonts a bit and made some changes on the sidebar, but otherwise it is the same. I realized that to change the theme would mean I would lose some vital information that we had worked so long to compile. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE is always a great one to re-watch of course. Yes always worth given Mr. Bogdonovich the courtesy. I have not yet seen FULL OF LIFE. Have a great weekend my friend. Many thanks.

So many changes on the format in the last week Sam! Oh my. I must admit I think the white background is a bit more classy myself. I think the wood panelled version was a bit too informal for my taste. Oh well. We have been busy as usual but keeping up for the most part. I am finally going to be seeing Montage of Heck in the next week or so. It didn’t play in our area and I don’t have HBO, so this has been a long time coming. I view Nirvana as the most significant American Rock Band of all time and have grappled with Cobain’s life and death within my own struggles for many years. Outside of the film, though, there is great debate on the release of the new “album” release. Is it crass commercialism at the Holidays to be releasing something that seems to capitalize on Cobain’s ever popular appeal? Part of me feels like Cobain would be mostly appalled by the release of this music in this way.

I am watching a few Bogart oldies this week, All Through the Night and The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse. I also aim to be catching up through the next month or 2 on all the “best” releases from 2015 that are on DVD.

Jon, I am happy to report that 2015 is turning out to be a very fine year in film after the past weeks. I saw BROOKLYN yesterday, which is now my #1 film of the year, and I also saw SPOTLIGHT about the Catholic Church clergy sex scandals which was superlative. I will be seeing the spectacularly praised ROOM in a few days as well, and then we have Todd Haynes’ CAROL opening Friday that has been praised by anyone and everyone.

Thanks so much for chiming into the site design discussion. As you can see I went back to the original design which you like best and tweeked it a bit with superior bold fonts. I am not sure why I thought changed was in order as this design is excellent for so many reasons. I share your love for Nirvana my friend, and appreciate that acute opinion. Yes I’d say it is holiday commercialism indeed, Can’t go wrong with those Bogart oldies my friend! Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Hello Sam and everyone!
I noticed some of the changes, weren’t a fan of some, some showed promise, but the final look is ok. Change is good, and I encourage further exploration and experimentation. Go for it!
The movies I saw last week were:
– Crimson Peak (2015, Guillermo del Toro) **** So much better than any review that you’ve ever read, and not as good as the ecstatic reviews that are in some places. Guillermo del Toro can’t fully approach the greatness that he had with “El laberinto del fauno”, a film so politically deep and compromised that it may hurt some of its viewers that deem it unimportant or blunt. This comes close, in the beginning, to become a scathing view on wealth and how it works, and in a way it’s a deconstruction of privilege and how embedded it is in that critical view that gets diluted as the runtime goes towards the end, but it somewhat stays in the background as an overall theme, which is valuable. I wasn’t expecting so many elements of the Silent Hills teaser “P.T.” to be present here and it just hurts more at this time because of how sad it is that we’re never going to see that game ever come to fruition.
– Iec Long (2015, Joao Rui Guerra de Mata, Joao Pedro Rodrigues) **** The archive imagery, I don’t know where it came from, if it’s fabricated or what, but the faces of children, standing in the middle of a firework factory is maybe the most frightening imagery I’ve seen in a movie made this year.
– El Movimiento (2015, Benjamin Naishtat) ***1/2 Best Cinematography. Best Lead Actor. Shame about some of the politics towards the end.
Light week, that’s all. Thanks Sam, have a great week.

Jamie, thanks so much for giving your views on the site design my friend! As you can see I have gone back now to the original design we’ve had for almost five years, and have tweeked it with bolder fonts. You know what? It looks better than any of the ones I changed it to. I am not sure what I was thinking. In any case this is one of your lightest weeks for sure. I also like CRIMSON PEAK, and basically agree with your four star review. I gave it the same grade in fact. Don’t know the other two films, but much appreciate your capsules. Yes this is the “lightest” week from you in a very long time my friend. Hope you are enjoying your weekend. 🙂

Sam, I am not sure if this is the new blog format. But I am liking what I am seeing. I particularly like the way the text seems to jump off the page.

Still a little quiet here but I did manage to finally see one of the few Pialat films I had never seen, WE WON’T GROW OLD TOGETHER. Unsurprising, as I think I have been a fan of all of the filmmaker’s films, I was again incredibly impressed by his uncompromising approach and the raw, real performances he again achieved. What stood out to me most though in this work is the incredible pungency of the editing. The French have frequently claimed Pialat as one of the two or three giants post-Nouvelle Vague and I am not one to disagree.

Jeffrey, this is actually the original format that we have had here fro almost five years!! 🙂 After playing musical chairs, I decided to go back to the original look. What was I thinking? Anyway I changed some of the fonts to bold and presto, it looks fantastic. My reliable friend of many years Tony d’Ambra was 100% right. Thanks for the good words.

Yes Pialat is a master, though I am sorry to say I have not seen that particular film just yet. Excellent to hear it is well worth a look-see. Your specifics are also what I have observed in his work. Thanks as always for your incredible friendship to me personally and to this site my friend. It is always a source of joy for me! Have a fabulous weekend.

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Wonders in the Dark is a blog dedicated to the arts, especially film, theatre and music. An open forum is highly encouraged, as the site proctors are usually ready and able to engage with ongoing conversation.